Problem: Radio AM, FM, Ant., & 6CD work, but NO SOUND!

This seems to be a very common problem. There must be a common component in the Bose system that fails? Does anyone know what it typically is?

The Bose system is great when it is working, and I'd rather not go to all the trouble & expense of rewiring everything and replacing the radio & speakers with after-market.

I'd rather just replace the failed Bose component, if feasible, but I have no clue what it is or how to find it. Has anyone else discovered what it is that typically fails in the Bose system?..... radio, speaker amp, main amp, or ????

FYI: I have checked all fuses, all speaker/amp connections, and tried replacing the radio with a known good used OEM Bose radio...... NO HELP.

I guess the problem has to be an amp? My understanding is that each speaker has its own amp (attached to the bottom of the speaker?) and that there is at least one main amp. Is this correct?

What appears to be a main amp I found attached to the rear seat frame, behind the carpet in the trunk (right side). Is this the ONLY main amp?

If one speaker or its amp goes out, will the other speakers still play?

I know this is a lot of questions, but this Bose system is nearly impossible to get a handle on.

Thanks for any help, or advice.

 

I don't have an answer for you but I have a Pioneer setup in mine and just last week the radio and all worked and turned on but I had no sound at all. then 3 days later it came back on and now it works like it did before?

 

That's how mine started out..... worked/didn't work.... for quite awhile, ....and then nothing. I assume what you have now is an aftermarket setup? I checked for loose or shorting wires first.

Mine is still inop. (Silence ain't all bad. I have nice conversations with myself. :-))

Thanks for the reply.

 

Actually no, I don't have an aftermarket setup The setup that came stock in the car (non milly) is a Mazda deck and Pioneer speakers.

 

After reading a bunch of these Millenia blogs, I have come to the conclusion that this is a common problem with the Bose system.... sound goes out after a few years, but radio, decks, etc., seem to be working fine.

1. Ordinarily, you would think fuses, or loose or shorting wires, are the culprits, but no problems with those are usually found.

2. Next, you think a bad amplifier is the likely prob. But how many are there, and where are they? Also, is there a separate pre-amp? On radio or off?

3. Apparently, on some models each speaker has its own amp, but how do you know for sure? And, for troubleshooting, it would be nice to know: if one speaker is the culprit, will the others still work? If yes, then with all 5 out, an amp becomes more and more likely to be the prob.

But the Bose system is so complicated (and UNIQUE!) that ordinary troubleshooting is virtually impossible. For example: Bose speakers are 1-2 ohms! Who ever heard of such a thing! They won't work with aftermarket stuff!

Anyway, tracking down the problem is virtually impossible without some kind of schematic of the sound system, or other detailed info on what & where components are in the system. I WOULD LOVE TO FIND IT!!!!

Apparently, most people just tear it all out and replace with aftermarket. Pretty difficult & expensive solution for a cheap, low value car. There probably is a better way, but you have to find the bad component first, & replace it. Good luck.

(Not to mention trying to get the $#*&%!! radio out!!) (& the %$*#&! programming crap!!!)

 

Cheap, low value car? What year of Millenia do you have? and how is the condition? I'm just asking cause I've had the local Mazda dealership here offer me $6000 on trade in and I don't even have the supercharger lol

 

Be careful valuing your car based on "trade-in value." My local dealers are knocking off $7000 without a trade-in. Try Blue Book or Edmunds.com for better estimates.

In most cases, you are better off selling the car yourself and using hardball negotiating for the lowest poss. new car price. Also, get your own pre-approved financing with your credit union, bank, etc. beforehand . Then you're dealing from a stronger "all-cash, no trade-in" position as far as the dealer is concerned. That reduces his costs and therefore he can come down on selling price more.

My original point was: it could easily cost $600+ to remove the Bose sytem components and replace with decent aftermarket stuff. That would be 10% of even your $6000 "trade-in" value. Not a good investment in a rapidly declining asset, IMHO.

That's why mine is still inop. (My singing IS getting better.)

Good luck.

 

Have you found what the problem yet? I had this NO SOUND problem for more than 6 mo. Before, it was on and off for a while, but now it just quiet all the time. I suspect there is a fuse for the AMP in the back, but I don't know where to find it.

 

I suspected an amp, so I sent one to a radio repair outfit in Florida (Factory Car Stereo Repair: 800-428-1909) who bench checked it and said it was good. The tech rep there said they usually find that the Millenia problem is the "head unit" on the radio itself, and usual cost to repair is $150-$175 + return shipping of $29. I am still pondering if it's worth that much to me to have a radio. Repairing is probably cheaper & easier than replacing with all new aftermarket stuff.... radio, speakers, wiring, bracket, labor, etc.

FYI: the tech rep also said that if one of the speaker amps was bad the other speakers would still play. That's good troubleshooting info.

These guys seemed knowledgeable, reliable, and trustworthy.

I doubt this is your problem since your radio was erratic for awhile before it quit totally, but be sure to check fuses & relays inside car & under hood. Especially, if your radio doesn't light up at all. My radio lights up and operates ant & 6-cd player (no sound), so it is getting electricity.

Also, with radio pulled out you can check for electrical current at plug connector with voltmeter. Current means good fuses, relays, and wiring to radio.

Good luck.

 

Over the weekend, I spent some time to look at it over again. I took the connector out of the AMP and found that there is no 12v supplied to the AMP even when the radio is on (My radio was working, display works find and the anntenna goes up and down when the radio turns on/off). I checked all fuses and they are all ok.
Then I checked the audio relay in the trunk (the audio relay is the one that has wires connected to the group of wires connected to the AMP). I took the relay apart (pop off the black cover) and checked inside. It looks fine and I supplied 12v to the coil and the relay works ok, but what I found was that when I turn on the radio, there is no 12v supplied to the relay. So, I reconnected the relay and manully push the relay to close posistion. Now, I could hear sound!!!
The problem is for some reason, there is no 12v supplied to the audio relay! I don't know where this 12v source is coming from. I suspected it should be from the Bose radio unit. If that's true, then the radio unit needs to be replaced and that could cost at least $200-$400.
Does anyone know where is the 12v source come from for the audio relay when the radio is turned on?